Charges dropped against UNC guard P.J. Hairston

ABC11 has learned that charges against UNC basketball player P.J. Hairston stemming from a June arrest have been dismissed.

Hairston was arrested by Durham police June 5 following a stop at a license check. Hairston, 20, was charged with driving without a license. He, along with two other men, Mykael Faulcon and Carlos Sanford, were also charged with possession of marijuana.

Durham authorities had also said a 9mm handgun was found on the ground outside Hairston's vehicle during the stop, however, police did not charge anyone in connection with the gun and said no more charges were forthcoming.

According to court documents, all the charges were dropped Friday. Records showed Hairston completed a drug assessment, as well as showed his current driver's license, leading the state to decide not to proceed with the case.

"We treated Mr. Hairston's case just like we treat every other case," Durham District Attorney Leon Stanback said.

Days earlier, UNC Head Basketball Coach Roy Williams issued a statement about the incident surrounding Hairston - saying there "will be serious consequences."

The incident has gained a lot of attention in the past month after an ABC11 I-Team investigation revealed that the luxury SUV Hairston was driving at the time of his arrest was rented by Haydn Patrick "Fats" Thomas. Thomas told ABC11 he did not rent the car for the UNC athlete, but loaned it to Faulcon.

Thomas has denied renting vehicles for athletes, but he admitted he often rents cars. From February to June, he rented 14 cars from Hertz, totaling nearly $17,000, according to receipts obtained by ABC11.

At least four of those 14 cars were issued parking tickets on UNC's campus, including a Camaro that Hairston was cited in for speeding in May.

After initially declining to comment on the case, Coach Williams issued the following statement last Monday:

"I initially decided not to make a statement about PJ (Hairston) until the legal process had been finalized. I believe that is the fair way that everyone should be treated and is the way of our country.

PJ and I have had several discussions already and he knows he has made serious mistakes and there will be serious consequences as a result. Certainly the idea of suspending PJ has been discussed. However, he is not currently enrolled in summer school, is not practicing with the team and we have no games until November. There are several options available in terms of discipline but we are going to wait until the process is complete to decide on those options.

Other issues have been written about recently that are disturbing and bother me deeply. Our basketball program is based on great ideals and these issues are embarrassing. These are not common in my 10 years as head coach at UNC and they will all be dealt with harshly and appropriately at the correct time to ensure that our program will not be compromised.

We will care about each individual but there will be serious actions taken that will fix these issues. I take pride in our values and how we have conducted ourselves for a long time here at Carolina and this time will pass but it will be dealt with strongly.

We are talking about a program that has been a model of success on and off the court and it will be again. I want to thank our fans for their patience, understanding and support."

ABC11 reached out to Hairston's attorney and UNC's Athletic Department Monday for comment, but neither have released a statement.

Meanwhile, Faulcon and Sanford are still facing possession charges related to the traffic stop.